Why Cordless Blinds Are Safe for Your Kids and Pets

While reviewing your options for window treatments, you decide to go with adjustable blinds. But in a household with children and pets, you worry that the cords on these products may be hazardous. Fortunately, you can choose to install cordless blinds instead. Products in this category are known for their safety in households with pets and kids. Here’s why.

What Are Cordless Blinds?

Before exploring this topic any further, it probably helps to know how cordless blinds differ from traditional, corded ones. Traditional designs have dangling pull cords attached to them. These cords give you a convenient way to raise or lower your window treatments to the desired position.

Cordless blinds provide the same basic functionality as their corded counterparts. However, they have no pull cord. Instead, your raise and lower them by other means. Depending on the product you choose, the mechanism used may include such things as:

A tension spring or pulley that activates when you pull a tab on the bottom rail of the blind

A weighted bottom rail that holds the blinds in your chosen position

A tension spring/pulley combined with a locking mechanism on the bottom rail

The Dangers of Corded Blinds

Children and pets can easily become entangled with the dangling cords of a traditional blind system. Every day, roughly two children age six or younger receive emergency treatment for pull cord-related injuries. And every year, eight to 10 young children die after getting strangled by a corded blind. Unfortunately, about 25% of all American are unaware of the hazards posed by these products.

Why Do Children Get Injured?

There are several reasons why corded blinds can injure children. Toddlers in your household will have no conception of what pull cords do. They’ll merely see something hanging down that they can get their hands on. While fiddling around in this aimless way, toddlers can get the cord wrapped around their necks or other body parts. The same thing can happen if a toddler accidentally walks or runs into a pull cord.

Younger children past the toddler stage may understand how pull cords work. However, this understanding doesn’t reduce the safety risk. That’s because kids this age may knowingly decide to play with pull cords. In this innocent scenario, a fun game can turn life-threatening in the blink of an eye.

Why Do Pets Get Injured?

Pets get tangled up in corded blinds for much the same reason as toddlers. They have no concept of why pull cords exist. They just see something to chew on or wrestle with. Or like toddlers, they can get entangled with a cord while walking or running near a window.

Why Are Cordless Blinds Safe?

Cordless blinds are safe for one huge reason. They have no dangling cord to trap your children or household pets. This means that toddlers can’t accidentally strangle themselves when fiddling with a pull cord. It also means that older children can’t harm themselves with a cord while engaged in play. In addition, it means that pets can steer clear of dangerous cords.

Public health experts recognize the increased safety of cordless blinds. In fact, the U.S. Product Safety Commission recommends installing them in any home with pets or young children. Window treatment manufacturers have also recognized the benefits of cordless products. As of December 2018, manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada will stop making most types of corded blinds. Instead, they will replace these products with cordless blinds or blinds with cords too short to pose a safety hazard. These changes will have an impact on over 80 percent of all blinds sold in Canada and America.

You Don’t Have to Sacrifice Beauty for Safety

Some consumers may worry that a switch to cordless blinds will leave them with fewer options for interior design. However, this is not the case. With the products now available, you can find a blind style and color to fit almost any possible design scheme. With so many choices at your disposal, you won’t find it hard to combine beauty and safety.

Ready to switch over from corded to cordless blinds? Your local custom window treatment experts can help guide your way. Customization provides an added benefit by allowing you to make any needed alterations in your chosen products. The best companies exclusively feature top products from well-regarded manufacturers. And custom providers can also install your new blinds with expert attention to detail. The final results will meet even the most rigorous standards for safety, visual appeal, and ease of use.

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Testimonials

Michel B. Los Angeles, CA6/3/2017

Aero Shade helped us design and install both indoor curtains (linen) and outdoor shades (Sunbrella fabric). We built a two story modern house from the ground up and needed expertise to achieve a minimalist look for window treatments and sun protection. We had the pleasure of working directly with the owner, Jack Pitson. Jack is a great problem solver and provides exceptional customer service. The rest of his team, including installers, are reliable, professional and very solutions-oriented. Aero Shade offers a multitude of products, styles, colors, fabrics, etc. to address almost any window covering project, large or small. My wife and I really appreciated the responsiveness of Aero Shade and how much they stand by their products. Overall excellent value for the money spent. Highly recommend!!

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About Aero Shade Co.

Working evenings and weekends for 12 years while holding down a full-time job doesn’t sound like the ideal way of entering the window coverings business. It just happens to be the route taken by Jack Pitson and Mario Soulema of Aero Shade Co. Inc., Los Angeles, CA.

Pitson and Soulema were working at jobs outside the industry when, in 1976, Pitson’s father-in-law, Herman Blumenfeld, suggested selling mini-blinds.